White
by TLoZTFH
Summary: She never really cared much for others - Blazes, the Pig-men, humans... even the other Ghasts. After all, why should she? The Pig-men did nothing for her. The Blazes never cared. The Ghasts had imprisoned her for being different... and humans? They took everything from her, and she hated them for that. Hated them all. Until she met him. /M for themes and language.
1. The Gift

**White**

 **Chapter 1: The Gift**

A young man whistled to himself as he mined deep underground. Clutched tightly in his hands was a pickaxe made of diamonds, which he swung over and over at the seemingly never-ending rock in front of him.

The young man's name was Joseph Tremain. He lived all alone out in the wild of the planet Tenaka. He had set out to adventure over four years ago now.

Joseph had once lived in a small farming village, on the edge of the kingdom of Notch. It had long been a tradition in the kingdom that when a person came of age, they would set out on an adventure, returning only when they felt they could take it no more. Joseph was the only child of Holly and Adam Tremain, two poor farmers. On the day he set out, his mother had burst into tears, and his father had only given him a handshake and a few words of parting;

"Please return to us someday."

Joseph had nodded, not trusting his voice, and had set out into the world on foot, disappearing into the thick early morning mist not long after.

The young man now lived in a castle-like structure that he had found abandoned in the wilderness. The wilds of Tenaka were a dangerous place, populated by bloodthirsty monsters that came out only at night to prey on the weak, unwary, and unprotected. Shelter was a necessity in order to stay alive.

Over the past four years, he had built, expanded, and filled his fortress to the brim with materials he collected while he was mining, gathering, and hunting.

He now sought one thing, a thing all adventurers wanted; a portal, a gateway to the hellish place they called the Nether. Few had ever been there, and even fewer had survived. Those who had spoke of ghosts that cried while they strangled and burned you, human-like things that breathed fire, and half-pig, half-men abominations that wandered aimlessly around the scorching hot place, clutching golden swords in their hands, sometimes falling into the pits of lava that were everywhere.

Why did he want to go to such a place?

Simple; so he could say that he had.

Joseph Tremain had always been a rather brave and adventurous soul. When others had screamed and run in terror at the sight of the sometimes-explosive (when infuriated), humanoid race called Creepers (distinguished by their green hair and eyes), he had befriended a young girl from a nearby tribe of them. When the villagers had tied a girl of the race known as the Enders to a stake and prepared to burn her, he had stopped them and rescued her.

The Enders, much like the Creepers, were an often-misunderstood race of human-like people. They came from another world that they called the End, where a brutal tyrant ruled with an iron fist. They had the strange ability to teleport short distances, and were generally a very peaceful race, unless you insulted them or looked them directly in the eyes for a long period of time (this was only allowed in the End when the person looking was family or a close friend of the other – otherwise it was like their equivalent of the middle finger.)

The three had all become good friends, Senara, the Enderwoman, even allowing him to look in her dark purple eyes. Ena, the Creeper, had never even become remotely angry with him, much less so infuriated she used the destructive explosive ability her race was born with.

When he had first made friends with them, his parents had scolded him and told him to stay away from them. They gradually softened once they saw the two were trustworthy, allowing them to live in the Tremain household, to the rest of the village's terror. It had been a sad day when he had had to leave them behind; they were just beginning to be accepted when he said good-bye.

So, while mostly happy, a small part of Joseph was lonely, yearning for the companionship of another sentient being.

 **~W~**

Joseph stood in front of his portal, admiring it proudly. The strange, purple light seemingly trapped in the center wavered and distorted the images from the other side, but he could barely make out a strange, rocky landscape made almost entirely of red stone, fires scattered here and there on its surface.

Taking a deep breath, Joseph adjusted his iron helmet, hefted his sword, and stepped through.

 **~W~**

Immediately, the acrid scent of ash filled his nostrils. He coughed for a bit, before regaining his composure.

It was hot. Extremely hot. He hadn't been in the Nether for thirty seconds, and his skin was drenched with sweat.

What he had seen in the portal was true. Fire burned all over the place, seemingly never expanding but quite stationary. Pools of magma bubbled and distorted the air around them with heat. Not a single drop of water was to be seen anywhere. Stalactites made of strange, luminous, yellow stone hung from the ceiling above him.

What really amazed him were the inhabitants.

The stories were true. Half-pig, half-men monsters roamed around, barely sparing the outsider a glance and communicating to each other with strange squeals and grunts. About fifty meters away, a small, human-like white figure was floating through the air, seemingly looking for something. He could see right through it, realizing it was a ghost. In the distance, a castle-like thing made of slightly darker red stone stood threateningly, daring the brave and foolish to venture into it.

Nothing really seemed to be paying much attention to him (except for the ghost, which had noticed him and was staring at him and following from a distance, curious about the strange new being in the Nether), so he set out for the castle, hoping there wouldn't be anything too bad inside.

 **~W~**

This place was weird.

The castle was bigger than Joseph had initially thought, holding large, cavernous halls and twisting hallways, just like a real castle. Strange red plants grew in patches of odd-colored dirt, and things like he had never seen roamed the halls; ghosts of both human and beastly form, fire-breathing people, and more of the pig-men. They didn't really seem to mind his presence, so long as he kept a fair distance. They didn't seem to like their personal space being invaded any more than humans did, so he just mingled with them like they were regular people.

It almost looked… normal.

The way the denizens of the Nether interacted with each other was amazingly like the way humans did, and they acted much the same as well. They laughed, cast wary glances at him when he passed, and talked to each other in strange languages he didn't understand.

He stopped, hearing a strange sound among all the seemingly happy bustle in the castle. He tilted his head slowly towards the sound.

Was that... crying?

He felt wary, remembering the stories of crying ghosts, and his hand strayed to the iron sword at his belt as he made his way towards the source of the sound. He soon found it was coming from within a small room - with a large, iron door that was locked, barred, and chained shut blocking the way.

Something _really_ did not want him to get in there.

…Which only led to him _wanting_ to get in there.

He took out a block of TNT, made from the remains of hostile Creepers back in Tenaka, lit its fuse, and ran behind a corner and covered his ears quickly.

The explosion shook the castle and left Joseph's ears ringing. He walked out from behind the corner, a sweatdrop forming on his forehead when he saw that not only was there no more door, but there was also nothing left of the wall _around_ the door. The smoke kept him from focusing on whatever was crying, - which still continued - but he saw a vague, humanoid figure kneeling on the floor.

"Hello?" He ventured cautiously, not sure if whatever he'd just freed was friendly.

He _really_ didn't have much foresight when it came to things like this.

Seconds later, the figure came running out of the smoke.

WHAM.

A sobbing young woman tackled him at full speed, knocking him over and hugging him like he would disappear. He was startled at this, and took a few seconds to react properly, observing the newcomer.

She looked maybe 21, if he had to guess. She had long, white hair that fell down to her lower back, and pale skin. She was clothed in a white dress, somehow unstained from all the ash and smoke in the air. He turned red as he realized that she was pressing her chest against his, eyes widening as he took in its size...

 _No! No! This is_ _not_ _the time for that!_

"Thank you... thank you..." She sobbed. He started.

"You... speak my language?" He asked slowly. She suddenly stopped crying, raising her head in confusion.

"You... can understand me?" She responded.

"Yeah... Yeah, I can," he replied.

Her face lit up with joy. "Finally! Finally! Someone who can understand me!"

"Um… is that strange?" He asked uncertainly.

"…Hmm." The woman suddenly released him, backing up and observing him carefully. A look of doubt came over her face. "…Wait."

Joseph tilted his head. "Um… Okay."

The woman's doubtful look slowly became one of open fear. "Are you… human?"

Joseph was slightly put off by her question. "Well… yeah, of course I am. Aren't you?"

She took a step back, her red eyes widening. "A… human…?"

Joseph recognized from her tone and body language that if he didn't do something soon, this woman was either going to attack him or run away.

He unfashioned his sword from his belt, gradually raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "Um… I'm human, yes. But I'm not going to hurt you, I sw…"

"Liar!"

Joseph sprung into action, retrieving his sword from the ground and raising it, blocking the massive fireball that had seemingly come from nowhere. He panted heavily with the strain of moving so quickly in such heavy armor, his shoulders heaving as his adrenaline began to flow.

"Hold on, I…" He began.

"You're a human! You're evil, horrible!" The woman cried, another fireball erupting from her palms.

 _What the hell is this girl's problem?!_ Joseph thought in confusion and frustration, tossing his now useless sword aside, ducking.

"Please, I just want to talk!" He shouted, jumping to the side as the floor underneath where he'd just been exploded, raining debris everywhere.

"You killed my mother!" The woman screamed. Joseph started, then sighed.

 _So that's what's going on… Oh boy, this will be fun to explain…_ He thought sarcastically.

"I never even met your mother!" He shouted back.

"Liar!"

"I swear…" Joseph laid flat as another fireball sailed over him. "…I've got no clue what you're talking about! Seriously!"

"I don't believe you!"

Joseph looked around. The floor, ceiling, and walls all had massive holes in them. The castle was beginning to groan dangerously, and other denizens of the Nether were beginning to gather, watching in curiosity and, for some, perhaps even a tiny bit of amusement.

The woman's palms began to glow again, and Joseph looked about wildly. There was no way to dodge this one, and his sword had become a lump of molten metal with the first fireball's impact.

"That's enough," a calm, cool voice said quietly. Joseph gasped; he knew that voice…

A black blur suddenly appeared behind the woman, and in a flurry of motion, suddenly, the woman was being restrained by a familiar-looking Enderwoman. The Nether residents groaned in disappointment; the fight had ended all too quickly.

"Let me go!" The woman shrieked. The Enderwoman shook her head.

"No," she said simply.

"…Senara?" Joseph asked in confusion. The newcomer looked at him with her deep violet eyes, smiling slightly.

"Hello there, Joseph." Senara then frowned at the other woman, who had kicked her in the legs, trying to make her let go. "You know that's not going to help, right?"

"Please!" The woman begged.

"I'm afraid not. That's my friend you're trying to burn there. I can't allow that. Now, if you're done struggling, I believe he has something to tell you."

Joseph cautiously approached the woman, looking her in the eyes calmly.

"What?" She bit fiercely.

"Nothing…" He shook his head. "I was just thinking that such an awful look doesn't suit such a beautiful face."

A fiery blush came over the woman's features and she looked to the side, mumbling, "Idiot. What are you saying?"

"…Look," he began. "I don't know who did it, and I'm sorry about your mother, but I'm not the one who killed her, I swear on my life."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Have I given you any reason not to?" He replied.

"..." The woman's expression slowly morphed into a childish pout. "You had a sword with you."

Joseph was stunned into silence by the simple ignorance of the woman's statement. Was she really not aware just how dangerous the place she lived in was?

"Joseph, perhaps you two can talk elsewhere?" Senara suggested nervously, as the castle's groans became louder and louder.

"That would be smart," Joseph agreed. Senara tilted her head, signaling him to hold on to her. He did so, and in a short time, during which his vision blurred and his stomach did a few flips, he found himself back in his own home on Tenaka, in the entrance hall.

Joseph stumbled around for a bit, dizzied and nauseous, taking deep breaths. When he finally felt okay again, he turned back towards Senara and the woman, who was still pouting.

"Look, I really don't have any intention of hurting you, or anyone, for that matter. Please believe me."

"…Let's say I believe you. Then what?" The woman queried doubtfully.

"Then I believe you owe me a favor for setting you free," Joseph pointed out. The woman flinched.

"What do you want?" She asked slowly.

Joseph thought for a moment. "…I hear that the residents of the Nether are talented in magic."

"We are," the woman affirmed simply, not seeing where he was going with this.

"I want you to stay here and teach me."

Silence.

 _Did she not hear me or something?_

"PFFT!" The woman began to laugh loudly, doubling over as she began to lose herself.

"A human… wants me to teach… to teach them magic?" She gasped in between laughs. "Oh god, that's rich!"

Joseph stood there in confusion as she continued to laugh, sharing a confused glance with Senara.

"Um…" Joseph began. "What, exactly, is so funny?"

"You want… to learn magic?! Oh god… I can't… I can't _breathe!_ " The woman's chest heaved with laughter.

"Hey!" Joseph shouted, stopping her from laughing yet more. "What the hell's so funny?"

The woman rubbed the tears of mirth from her eyes, still snickering slightly as she took deep breaths. "Oh… dear god, that's funny! For… for a second, I thought you might actually be serious… Now, seriously, what do you want?"

"I am serious," Joseph said, then sighed as she threatened to begin laughing again. "What's so funny about me wanting to learn magic?"

"Let me explain something. I'll put it in simple terms, so even someone as dense as you seem to be can understand; HUMANS CAN'T LEARN MAGIC."

"Sure we can. My grandfather knew magic," Joseph said. The woman shook her head, sighing deeply.

"Let me rephrase my sentence; the only way for a human to learn magic is to first have sex with a resident of the Nether, and, no offense, I don't see you having sex with anyone anytime soon," she told him.

"…Are you _trying_ to pick a fight?" Joseph wondered aloud. There was a short silence, before the woman sighed again, tilting her head.

"Look, tell you what, human; since you did set me free, I'll take you up on the first part of your request and stay here with you. But as for the second part… well, if you want to be taught by me, you better start looking for a really, _really_ horny Blaze."

Joseph thought for a few moments, then looked at Senara.

"You can let her go now."

The Enderwoman silently did so, stepping off to the side, seemingly blending into the shadows instantly.

"Ahh…" The woman stretched. She opened one eye as she did, looking at Joseph curiously. "What's your name, human?"

"I'm Joseph Tremain," he introduced, offering a hand. She looked at it in slight disdain, before shaking it carefully.

"Tamashi Samayoi," she said simply. "And you?" She looked at Senara, who was looking about at Joseph's home in mild interest.

"Senara of the Enders," the young woman replied shortly.

"I assume you have an extra room, human?" Tamashi questioned airily. Joseph sighed, gesturing at the stairs at the far end of the hall.

"Up the stairs, to your right, take the second set of stairs, go left, and it's the first door on your right. My room's right across from yours, there's a washroom at the west end of the hall, and there's a bath at the east end," he told her. She quickly exited the room, and the human and Ender were left alone.

"So…" Joseph shifted, slightly uncomfortably. "How have you been?"

Senara looked at him with a neutral expression. "Bored. It took Ena and I ages to find you."

"Ena?" He asked in surprise. "She's here, too?"

"Taking a bath," Senara affirmed.

"Why did you come after me? It's dangerous outside the village, you know," he said as he climbed the stairs with her, making his way to his room. He began to remove his armor, placing it carefully on a stand by the door.

"Oh yes, we know," Senara replied. "An Ender and a Creeper traveling together seem to intimidate most creatures, though."

"The creatures that have the brains to be intimidated, you mean," he remarked, pulling on a fresh tunic, thinking of the hordes of zombies, skeletons, and massive spiders that appeared at night.

She nodded. He gave a yawn, falling onto his bed as she sat on the edge. He looked at her expectantly.

"You've come to find me for a reason, I suppose?" He questioned. The Enderwoman raised an eyebrow.

"Besides being lonely? No, not really."

"If you say so," he sighed, turning to lay on his side. "There are other spare rooms, if you need…"

With a final yawn, he dropped off, falling into a dreamless slumber.

 **~W~**

Joseph awoke to inconsiderate sunlight shining down on his face, making him groan and roll over instinctively, giving a grunt of irritation.

 _I_ _know_ _those curtains were closed when I went to sleep..._

He laid there for a while, relaxing, before he heard his stomach growl. With a sigh, he sat up, rubbing his eyes, then stretching.

Joseph exited his room, padding sleepily down the hall to the bath. He entered the steamy room, undressing. Laying his clothes on one of the benches, he opened the door leading to the actual bath.

The bath itself was actually fed from a hot spring coming from the mountain his home was built on and around. This led to it being a reasonable temperature even in the freezing early spring.

As Joseph sunk into the water, he reflected on the events of the previous day. Tamashi seemed... _tolerable_ in manner, at least, and Senara and Ena were there as well. Giving a contented sigh, he laid his head back, gazing up through the open roof at the puffy clouds drifting in the sky.

"You remind me of an old man," a familiar voice giggled in a bright tone.

Joseph smiled. "Well, I feel like one sometimes, too."

Ena slipped in beside him with a gentle splash. She ran a hand over his stubbly face. "This is new."

Joseph chuckled. "You should have seen me last month. I looked like some sort of walking bear."

"I... can't even begin to imagine that," Ena laughed.

"Good. It looked ridiculous."

"That strange girl..." Ena paused, a playful smile on her face. "Is she your _lover?_ "

Joseph's face exploded with red. "Good god, Ena! No! Just- no!"

"Well, the way you're protesting makes it sound even more like you two are doing more than just living together..." Ena teased.

"I'm getting out!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Oh, come on, Joseph!" The Creeper whined, trying (and failing) to catch the young man by the ankle as he left the bath. "Don't be such a killjoy!"

"I refuse to put up with your pervertedness already!" Joseph shouted back into the bath as he changed.

Among other things, Ena was probably the most playfully perverted person Joseph had ever had the misfortune of meeting. Her constant teasing and lecherous ways annoyed him sometimes to the point that he wondered how they were friends.

"Pervertedness isn't a word!" Was the reply.

Joseph didn't reply, slamming the door behind him and stomping down the hallway to the staircase. He climbed it to the top level of the fortress, exiting out onto the roof. To his surprise, someone was there already, looking over the railing he had installed just in case. He raised an eyebrow as he joined her, the light snow of early spring gently swirling by.

"I figured I'd find you some place warm," he said.

Tamashi yawned. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? Considering where I come from, that is." Her gaze moved to Joseph's face. "But no, I like the cold."

"I see," Joseph said, looking out over the lands he had called his home for the past four years.

"You know, there is another way."

"Hm?" Joseph looked back at Tamashi, blinking. She sighed.

"I refrained from mentioning it before because I didn't know what type of person you were, but there's another way for you to recieve the gift of magic."

"What?" He asked in surprise. "How?"

"You... have to be very strong." She lowered her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "But, provided you have some chalk and a large open floor, I can bestow you with the gift."

"Well, let's do it," Joseph started. "I'm ready if you ar-"

"I'm serious!" She interrupted, her voice shaking. "If you're not strong enough..." Her hands began to tremble. "...You'll die!"

He stared at her for a long time, causing her to look away in embarrassment.

"Geez, what are you looking at so intensely?" She mumbled, a light blush spreading across her face. "Idiot."

"I just thought it was strange that you would care so much."

"D-don't get the wrong idea!" Tamashi stammered, her face reddening even more. "It's not like I'm worried about you or anything! I just don't want any unnecessary blood on my hands, is all!"

 _She's the biggest tsundere I've ever met,_ Joseph thought, a small smirk on his features. "Right. Well, if you need me, I'll be in the library."

Tamashi turned her nose up, sniffing. "As if I would ever _need_ a human for anything."

Joseph shrugged, then left the roof, going down the hall to the library to spend the day reading.

 **~W~**

 **One week later...**

"I need wood..." Joseph observed dismally, looking at the meager pile of logs resting against the side of his shed.

A few minutes later, he strolled out the front gate of his rather large residence, locking it behind him securely. He pulled an empty sled behind him. The snow crunched underneath his heavy boots, and he soon found the first tree of many that would be cut down.

Swinging the axe back, he paused for a moment to look at the tiny white dot that was Tamashi on the roof of his house (it had become a favorite spot of hers over the past week), then swung forward, the axe digging into the tree with a satisfying thud.

 **~W~**

Several hours later, he had a large pile of firewood heaped on his sled and, pulling it up to the gate of his house, he was greeted by Senara, who graciously held open the gate for him. Thanking her as she shut it behind him, he looked at the shivering Enderwoman curiously.

"What are you doing outside? I thought you hated the cold."

Senara sighed, hugging her arms to her chest and rubbing her forearms. "I do," she said. "But I figured you might want help unloading all that."

"No thanks." He shook his head. "You should go inside, Senara. I don't want you getting sick or anything, after all."

Senara smiled gratefully, then heeded his advice and disappeared into the warm house.

As he stacked the firewood he had collected on top of the other firewood he already had, Joseph was interrupted by Tamashi.

"Hey, human," she started from behind him. He sighed, continuing his work.

"I have a _name_ , you know," he said irritatedly, as she watched him unload.

Ignoring his complaint, she continued; "I've drawn out the magic circle required for the ritual in one of your spare rooms. If you really want to go through with it, even knowing the risks, meet me in the room two doors down the hall from yours at midnight tonight. Also, come naked."

Joseph's face exploded with red upon hearing the last part of the statement, and he looked at Tamashi, sure he'd misheard her. "Did you just-"

Her face was as red as his, and she stammered, "D-d-don't m-misinterpret! It's j-just that th-the ritual works better when both involved are naked!"

"Oh..." He mumbled, then realized what she'd just said. "Wait, when _both_ are naked?! So you're-"

"Yes, I'll be naked too," she finished, glaring. "Like I said, don't misinterpret." With that, the work being finished, she walked away.

Joseph crossed his arms, watching her as she walked away.

"Huh..."

 **~W~**

Joseph left his room at ten minutes to midnight, dressed only in a plain white robe. He padded down the hallway, to the room Tamashi had told him to go to. His hand hesitated on the doorknob, his eyes narrowing slightly in doubt.

 _Will this... really work?_

Tamashi's earlier words rang in his ears.

 _"I'm serious! If you're not strong enough..._

 _"...You'll die!"_

He sighed.

 _Well, I guess doubts are useless now, anyway._

He turned the knob, opening the door, and was confronted with a strange sight.

The room, which had previously been used for storage of various pieces of miscellaneous furniture, was now completely empty. Drawn in what appeared to be chalk on the wooden floor was a large circle consisting of several rings, with symbols in a foreign language drawn in various spots that seemed to correspond to the numbers on a clock.

Kneeling with her hands on the edge of the circle at the "twelve" position was Tamashi, her eyes closed. True to what she had said, she was completely naked. Joseph, though knowing he shouldn't, paused for a moment to admire her. She had a near-perfect figure, the swell of her hips and chest seeming just right for her body. Two perfectly-formed tear-shaped breasts hung from her chest, the small pink circles that were her nipples contrasting sharply with her milky white skin. Her equally white hair seemed to glow slightly in the light of the moon.

His eyes then travelled upwards, studying her face. It had a certain unique sharpness to it, making the contours of her cheeks and jaw defined while still remaining definitively feminine. He smiled, thinking of how her current relaxed expression suited her more than her usual scowl.

Averting his eyes (lest she open hers and discover he had seen), he spoke.

"I'm here."

Not opening her eyes, she replied, "Step into the middle of the circle and sit facing away from me. Don't step on the symbols."

Hesitating at first, Joseph discarded his robe, then slowly made his way to the center of the circle and sat with his back to Tamashi.

"I'm in the middle," he told her.

"Good. Now exhale as much as possible."

"Wh-"

"It's so you can't scream. This will hurt, human." Her tone was the softest he'd heard her speak in since he'd met her, holding an almost sympathetic quality.

Doing as she commanded, he exhaled and braced himself for the pain she had said would be coming.

Tamashi let out what sounded like a low growl, and Joseph watched in awe as the circle lit up with white light that steadily grew stronger. Still, no pain came to him.

Finally, when he felt like he would pass out from lack of breath or go blind from the brightness of the circle, his body exploded.

Or at least that was what it felt like. Joseph lay on his back, writhing in pain so intense he'd never imagined it possible to feel. It felt as if thousands of tiny, red-hot blades were being thrust into his whole body. He instinctively inhaled despite the warning Tamashi had given him, and that breath was immediately let out in a scream of pain, then another, and another.

He continued to scream and writhe for what seemed like hours, until the door to the room was flung open.

"Joseph!" He heard Ena's voice shriek in horror.

"Don't!" Tamashi's voice ordered sharply. It sounded to him as if she was going through as much pain as he was. "If you touch any part of this circle, we'll all die!"

"But-!"

"Ena." Senara's voice spoke softly, as always. "There is nothing we can do for him."

Joseph heard footsteps running away from the room, followed by much slower, deliberate footsteps, even through his screaming.

After what seemed to him like a lifetime, the pain finally began to subside, bit by bit, until it vanished completely. The circle went dark, and Joseph was left, covered in sweat, panting in the middle of it, light-headed from screaming so much. Darkness crept at the edges of his vision as he turned his head, to identify that there was now an unfamiliar tattoo of an eye on the back of his right hand.

Tamashi was also panting, and he looked, to see the white-haired woman with her head bowed, covered in just as much sweat. Her body also looked to be covered all over with large red burns.

"You know..." She panted, her voice sounding incredibly pained. "You're... strong... for a human..."

She raised her head, and he saw that there was blood trailing from a corner of her mouth. Despite this, she was smiling for the first time since he'd met her.

With that final action, Tamashi suddenly slumped forward, out cold.

 **~W~**

 **Two days later...**

"Nnn..."

Joseph looked up from the book he was reading as Tamashi moaned. Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the young woman's face as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up in bed.

"This is..." She spoke softly as she looked around, confused. "...My room."

Joseph returned his gaze to his book as he nodded once. "I carried you here and treated you after you passed out after the ritual. Senara dressed you."

"Really..." Tamashi murmured, looking down at her bandaged hands. Suddenly, her face reddened. "Did you see-"

"Relax," he interrupted. "Senara looked over _that_ part of you."

Tamashi exhaled in relief. "I see..."

"It's been two days, by the way."

Tamashi laid back, staring at the canopy of her surprisingly exquisite bed. "I'm not surprised..." She said quietly. "Mother always said the ritual was... draining."

She closed her eyes. "And what of you, human? Were you injured?"

Joseph sighed. "I was burned lightly on my back, and a few other places. Nothing to worry about, though."

"As if I would be _worried_ about you," she huffed.

"You asked..." He mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"And the gift? Did you get the mark?"

"If you mean the new eye tattoo on my hand, yeah," he said. "Still, I don't get what getting a new tattoo has to do with being able to use magic."

Tamashi frowned. "You claim to want to learn magic, yet you are unfamiliar with the basics of it. Haven't you studied this at all, human?"

"No, not really," Joseph admitted. "Why? What does it have to do with magic?"

"That 'tattoo' is called a magic brand. It's the point in your body where all your magic power is focused. Hence, it's also the point where you draw said power from in order to cast spells."

"Do you have one?"

"No, beings born with the gift don't need one. Their whole body acts as a brand."

"Why doesn't it work that way with humans?" Joseph questioned.

"Because your bodies aren't made with any sort of resistance to magic, you are very weak to it. Think of your brand not only as a place where your power is focused, but as a seal as well. If magic power was allowed to run freely through you, it would most likely tear you apart from the inside."

"Wait, so..." Joseph thought. "Wouldn't that make using magic in general dangerous?"

Tamashi opened her eyes. "Yes and no. At first, even small spells will be painful for you, but as your body gradually gets used to the presence of magic power, it will build up a resistance to it. That in turn will allow for you to use more and more complicated spells, but remember; that resistance only goes so far. Even those of us born with it can be harmed by using too much power."

"I see. All that aside," Joseph grinned. "You should smile more often."

Tamashi looked confused for a few moments, then flushed. "Y-you're misunderstanding! It's not like- it's not like I was smiling a-at _you,_ stupid human!"

"Oh, really?" Joseph's grin only widened from her response. "It seemed that way to me."

Tamashi's blush extended all the way up to the tips of her ears. "W-well you're wrong! ...Now leave me alone!"

"All right, I'm going." Joseph stood, the grin never leaving his face as he left the room, closing the door gently behind himself.

Tamashi closed her eyes as she laid back down, sighing heavily and placing a hand on her chest, where her heart was beating wildly.

 _What is this feeling I get around him...?_

 **~W~**

 **A/N: So ends the first chapter of** _ **White.**_

 **So, how did you guys like it? This is my first time writing about anything Minecraft-related, and I hope I did a good job nailing the atmosphere of the game. Obviously, I had to make a few logical changes for the sake of the story (i.e. the world isn't made of just blocks, Joseph finds an old fortress to live in instead of building one, swords melt when hit with fireballs, etc.), but I hope they didn't detract from it too much.**

 **If you can't tell, this fic is going to be mainly JosephxTamashi. There may be other pairings as the story progresses and more characters are introduced, but it's just going to be the two of them to start out, and even they aren't going to forge any sort of meaningful relationship for a while.**

 **For those of you wondering what a "tsundere" is, the word refers to a specific personality trait (usually in girls) where a person acts cold on the outside at first, then gradually begins to warm up to the person they're acting cold towards. It's best described as "cold outside, warm inside."**

 **Also, something else you should know is that the mob characters (Ena, Tamashi, Senara) are NOT based off of the "Mob Talker" mod's models. They look almost nothing alike. Ena's hair and eyes are both green, and her hair reaches almost to her waist. She usually dresses in brown pants and a white t-shirt. Senara's hair is long and black, her eyes are violet, and she dresses in a black turtleneck and grey pants.**

 **Character appearances aside, who was able to guess what Tamashi's name meant? I couldn't help but name her something exotic, and it came down to one of two languages - Japanese or Arabic. I flipped a coin, ended up with Japanese, and searched up various appropriate names until I found one that sounded right - Samayoi Tamashi, or "Wandering Soul."**

 **Anyway, all in all, I'm pretty pleased with how this first chapter turned out. If you liked it, please review! The next chapter will hopefully be out soon, so until then, adios!**

 **-TLoZTFH**


	2. You'll Catch A Cold

**White**

 **Chapter 2: You'll Catch A Cold...**

Joseph was deep underground, mining for coal, when he was approached by Ena. It was so sudden, he almost ran her through with his sword. One moment, he was alone in the mining shaft. The next, he felt a tap on his shoulder. As he commonly encountered monsters underground, he was obviously expecting it to be one of the few sentient monsters messing with him before it attacked him or ran away. Instead, he was confronted with the sight of a rather forlorn-looking green-haired young woman, her arms crossed.

"Ena?" He asked, as his heartbeat returned to normal. He looked around warily. "What are you doing down here? It's dangerous-"

"And so was that ritual, Joseph." Ena's tone was icy, just like her expression. "You could've died, and you never said a word to me or Senara. Not a damn word."

"I didn't want to worry y-" Joseph began, but he was cut off again by the Creeper.

"Yeah, and you did a _great fucking job!_ " She shouted, her eyes flashing. "I wasn't worried at _all_ when I saw you in that circle, screaming your head off like you were being tortured to death!"

"I thought you would be somewhere you wouldn't be able to hear!" Joseph protested, causing Ena's face to distort with fury.

"So that would make it okay?! You almost fucking _died,_ and you expected us to- to-" Ena was speechless with rage at this point, too angry to even form words. As she was struggling to give voice to her anger, there was suddenly a hissing sound, and her eyes widened.

"Joseph," she said, in an oddly flat tone of voice, "run, now."

"Wha-"

"I SAID R-" Ena screamed, but she never finished.

BOOM.

The next thing Joseph knew, he was lying on his back with what felt like a ton of rock on his chest. His vision was swimming with red, his head feeling as if someone had hit it with a hammer. He laid there, pinned, unable to move, for a long while, when suddenly he heard a pained scream.

"Ena?!" He shouted. "Are you all right?!"

"J... Joseph...!" Came the Creeper's voice. It sounded like she was in immense pain. "M-my body... I can't move my body...!"

"What happened?!"

"I... I think I... blew up..." Ena's voice was labored, as if she was having trouble breathing. "J-Joseph, it's hard... to breathe... I'm scared...!"

"J-just wait there! Senara and Tamashi had to have heard the blast! I'm sure they'll come for us soon!"

As if on cue, Senara's worried voice could be heard from up the half-collapsed shaft. "Ena?! Joseph?! Are you down there?!"

"W-We're here!" Joseph struggled to shout. "Ena's in trouble, you have to help her!"

"Joseph... I can't... I can't keep my eyes... open..." Ena's voice was getting weaker. "I'm going to... take a short nap..."

"Ena, no! Don't fall asleep! ...Ena?! Ena?! Ena, can you hear me?! ENA!"

He continued shouting Ena's name until he heard two pairs of feet running down the shaft towards him. There was a horrified scream from Senara, and a retching sound from Tamashi.

"Oh-oh my god! E-Ena?!" Senara sounded hysterical.

"Joseph! Can you hear me?! Are you under there?!" Tamashi's voice was just as worried.

"I-I'm here!" Joseph called.

It was a short while later that he felt the rocks on his chest being shifted off of him, and he was confronted with the sight of Senara kneeling over Ena's limp form. There was a massive bloody gash running from the Creeper's shoulder to her opposite hip. Tamashi was standing over him, her palms raised as if in a placating gesture, still glowing slightly from the magic she had used.

"Can you move, human?" Tamashi asked softly, kneeling beside him.

"N-never mind me!" Joseph exclaimed, trying (and failing) to sit up with a hiss of pain. "Is Ena-"

"She's alive." Senara was visibly relieved, her shoulders dropping with a sigh. Her voice, previously shrill with worry, was returning to its normal, deep register. "None of her organs are damaged, she's still breathing, her heart's beating... She'll live... she just needs to be stitched up."

"Can you do that?" Joseph asked, wincing as Tamashi helped him sit up, then stand.

"I-I think so," Senara responded, nodding. "If you can get me the supplies."

"The medical supplies... are in the storage room off of the entrance hall," Joseph told her. Senara nodded again, picking Ena up, then disappearing.

"That... takes some getting used to," Tamashi admitted softly, gazing at the place where the Enderwoman had been.

"Yeah," Joseph responded, leaning heavily on the former Nether resident as she helped him slowly make his way up the mining shaft, through the tunnels, and back up into the fortress. "By the way, I have a question for you."

Tamashi looked at him expectantly, and he took that as a sign to continue as he carefully lowered himself down onto one of the steps in the entrance hall, exhaling deeply as he sank down into a more relaxed position, laying a hand on his screaming ribs.

 _Pretty sure I broke something..._ He reflected briefly.

"You keep referring to me as 'human,' like you're not one. What _are_ you?"

Tamashi sighed, taking a seat as well. "I come from a race known as the Ghasts. We're different from humans in that we're not usually born with the body we inhabit - we spend our childhood in spirit form, waiting as our bodies grow in special rooms in the Nether Fortresses, and we enter them once they reach adulthood. Every so often, though, a child is born in their body, and their spirit grows together with the body. These people are treated differently by everyone in the Nether. My mother was the first one in three hundred years to be born in her body, and I was the same way. That's why I was in that room where you found me. My mother and I traveled the Nether to escape persecution, but when she died, the other Ghasts found me and locked me away. I was in that room for three years before you set me free, you know."

"Three years?!" Joseph asked in shock. "How did you survive in there for three years?!"

Tamashi tilted her head back, looking at the ceiling. "I didn't have much of a choice. I didn't have any way out. I suppose... I suppose I will always be in your debt for setting me free."

Joseph went silent. Then, after a while, he cracked a smile and said, "I just realized something."

"What?" Tamashi looked at him.

"You finally said my name."

Tamashi tilted her head to the side, confused. "What?" She repeated.

"Back in the tunnels, when I was trapped under the rocks. You called my name. You said, 'Joseph? Can you hear me? Are you under there?'"

Tamashi fell silent, pink slowly spreading across her face, as well as the now-familiar scowl. "I-it was just instinct! Don't think that I like you now or anything!"

"Well, that's a shame, then. Because I like you," Joseph said, his smile growing into a grin. He was about to say something else when he felt a hand gently hit the top of his head.

"Then you're an idiot," Tamashi said softly. Her eyes were sad as she looked at him. "Don't make the mistake of starting to trust me. I'll only let you down in the end."

"I… can't believe that," Joseph said, shaking his head. "I might not have known you for very long, but I can tell that you're someone that can be counted on."

"Oh? And what do you know?" Tamashi asked, her tone growing angry. "What do you know about me? About my life?"

"I…"

"Let me tell you something, _human,_ " Tamashi nearly choked, she spat the word so hard. "You know _nothing_ of what I've seen. Where I've been… What I've done."

With that, she stood up and exited the hall, leaving him there, staring after her as she disappeared into the swirling snow of the winter night.

 **~W~**

Joseph sighed, looking out Ena's bedroom window in concern. It had been two days since Tamashi had left, and anxiety gnawed at him with every passing minute, along with guilt.

Ena had yet to wake up, sleeping with a peaceful expression. Senara had stitched her up the best she could, but that didn't keep Joseph from feeling sick when he saw the reddish-purple skin around the seams in his friend's torso.

This had been his fault.

 _If I had just been stronger... if I had just told her…_

"You know, sitting there and moping won't change anything."

Joseph raised his head from his hands as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Senara was looking down at him, a concerned look on her face.

"I just… I don't know what to do, Sen," Joseph muttered, clenching a fist as he looked at the floor. "She's like this because of me."

Senara sighed, squatting down to look him in the eye. "I understand how you must feel, but what you're doing won't help her heal faster. If you find something else to do with your time, I'm sure she'll be awake before you know it."

"But-" Joseph was stopped by a finger on his lips. Senara was shaking her head.

"No buts. Come on, it's time you looked for Tamashi. It's the middle of winter, and from what I can tell, she's got no more resistance to the cold than you or I do, and we both know how dangerous the wilderness is at night." She grasped Joseph's hand, pulling him out of the chair and onto his feet. "Go get ready. I'll meet you by the entrance in twenty minutes."

Joseph nodded wordlessly, leaving the room. Senara gazed after him for a small while, before taking his place in the chair. She reached out a hand, brushing a few stray strands of hair from Ena's forehead.

"Hey, Ena," she whispered. "It's me again. I miss you. It's too quiet around here, too solemn without your jokes and your smile. I'm trying to put on a strong front for Joseph, but… We're both falling apart without you. Please," she took the unmoving Creeper's hand, her own hands shaking as she did so. A tear formed in her eye. "It hurts for us to see you like this, so please… Please wake up soon."

Silence settled over the room, broken only by Ena's soft breathing. Senara put her face in her hands, stifling a sob.

 **~W~**

Joseph shuffled his feet, looking around the entrance hall anxiously. He was now dressed in a heavy fur coat, trousers, gloves, and boots, his spare sword strapped to his side. Across his shoulders were slung a quiver and bow, and in a pouch at his side was a piece of metal and a shard of flint. Twenty minutes had passed, and Senara was nowhere to be seen.

Joseph closed his eyes in thought. _It hasn't snowed too much in the past two days, so with any luck, Tamashi's tracks will be at least somewhat visible._

 _I hope she's okay…_

"Ready?" He was jolted out of his thoughts by Senara's voice, and looked to see her descending the stairs, wrapped in attire similar to Joseph's, with the addition of an extra coat, a scarf, and a hat, leaving her eyes the only visible part of her face. Joseph managed half a smile.

"Warm enough, Sen?"

A flush played across Senara's face, just barely visible over the top of her scarf. "Quiet, you."

"Well, we'd better get going," Joseph said, then turned and opened the door, being greeted by a blast of cold air.

"By the way," Senara started, as they exited the fortress. "How do you keep this fort so warm?"

"I installed a series of vents,'" Joseph explained as he locked the gate behind them. "They draw hot air from the mining tunnels under the fort and spread it throughout the place. I can close them in the spring, and open them in the fall. They're quite useful, really."

"I wondered what those metal tubes were," Senara realized, then noticed Joseph bent over, inspecting what she assumed were Tamashi's tracks. "Well? Which direction did she go?"

Joseph pointed to their immediate right. "South, towards the river." His brow furrowed as they began following the footprints. "That might be a problem."

"Why?"

"Well, the only way to cross the river is to follow it east for a few miles, where there's a fallen tree that can be used as a bridge. She doesn't know that, though. God knows where she might've tried to cross."

"Well, let's just follow them for now, and see where we end up," Senara said, and Joseph nodded. Without another word, they set off, following Tamashi's footsteps through the trees.

 **~W~**

 **Two days earlier…**

Tamashi looked around, unaware of which way to go. She had been walking for few hours now, and had just reached a river. She shivered, both from the cold and from the thought of being in the surely ice-cold raging waters in front of her. There didn't seem to be any way across.

The Ghast frowned, closing her eyes.

 _Am I… doing the right thing?_

 _Yes,_ said a small voice inside of her. _If you stay with Joseph, he'll just end up getting hurt._

Tamashi exhaled heavily, steeling her nerves. There was no room for indecisiveness now, not after she'd already come so far. Rubbing her freezing arms, she chose to go left, turning her course to the east, following the flow of the river. She walked in silence for a long while, the only sound being the rushing of the water beside her and the sound of the snow underfoot.

About an hour and a half later, she came across a fallen tree that bridged the river, slick with ice and water. Deciding against her better judgement, she tentatively put one foot on it, testing it.

 _It seems solid enough…_

Putting her other foot on, she slowly took a step forward, trying to focus on the solidness of the tree trunk rather than the surely freezing water below. Step by step, she moved along the trunk. When she was in the middle, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

Suddenly, from the far bank of the river, she heard a loud sound, as if another tree had fallen. Surprised, she took an instinctive step back and slipped.

The last thing she felt was her head colliding with a hard surface, then her world went black.

 **~W~**

"Nnn…" Tamashi groaned, trying to open her eyes. However, she couldn't - her eyelids seemed to weigh a million pounds. Her head ached horribly, like someone had beat her with a club.

"You awake, sweetheart?" A soft, feminine voice asked from nearby. Managing to force her eyes open, Tamashi was greeted by the sight of a blurry figure standing over her. As her vision slowly focused, she managed to identify the features of this figure.

It was a young woman of about thirty, with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. She was giving her a broad grin, like she was genuinely ecstatic that she was awake.

"Who are you?" Tamashi asked dazedly, looking around. She seemed to be in a small cabin, with all the trappings one would expect of such a modest home; a small table and two chairs, a wood stove in the corner, a fireplace over which a cooking spit hung, dried herbs and salted meats hanging from the ceiling, a small dresser, and the bed which Tamashi was currently lying in. "Where am I…?"

"I'm Mary. I found you caught against a rock in the river, with a giant lump on the back of your head. Speaking of which," the young woman reached over, picking up a cup of tea that had been resting on the table next to the bed. "Here, drink this. It'll help the headache you're probably feeling."

"Headache…?" Tamashi mumbled, reaching up to her gingerly touch the back of her head, where the ache seemed to be originating. She winced when her fingers made contact with the bandage wrapped tightly around her forehead. Her eyes widened as she recalled her failed attempt to cross the bridge. Mary only held the cup closer, indicating that she should take it.

"Thank you," Tamashi whispered, accepting the lukewarm tea. The flavor that seeped over her tongue was bitter, almost unbearably so, to the point she almost spat it out. Forcing herself to swallow, she handed the now-empty teacup back to Mary.

"You're welcome. Now, what happened, sweetheart?" Mary asked in concern, setting the teacup aside. "You would've died within minutes if I hadn't found you."

"I'm… a traveler. I slipped and fell into the river."

Mary raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Tamashi felt her face grow hot.

"What?"

"You know, I don't know you, but there's really no benefit in lying to me."

There was a silence, before Tamashi sighed heavily, admitting, "I was running away from something."

Mary's other eyebrow shot up to join its counterpart. "Can't have been anything good, from the state you were in. No gloves, no hat, not even a coat. I'm surprised you didn't freeze to death as it is. Now, what were you running from?"

Tamashi curled her lip. "I… I wanted to keep from hurting a friend." Already, she wished she could take back her words. For if she was able to say it aloud, she knew she had already affirmed it in her mind; despite her best efforts, Joseph and she _were_ friends.

She hadn't expected Mary to understand, but as soon as she had finished speaking, the light of understanding entered her savior's eyes. "I understand. Staying would only hurt them, right?"

Tamashi nodded, not trusting her voice as hot tears started to form in her eyes, obscuring her vision. This was no good. How weak was she, to be breaking down in front of a complete stranger?

She started as she felt a pair of arms around her, but soon just let it go, allowing herself to break down completely.

 **~W~**

"This doesn't look good," Senara called from the far side of the tree bridge. "There's no footprints on this side."

Joseph gritted his teeth, looking down at his feet. Tamashi's faint, but still distinct, tracks clearly lead towards the bridge. Placing his foot on the slick wood, he carefully paced out over the bridge, until he heard an odd _crunch_ underfoot.

Looking down again, Joseph saw that the ice beneath his boot was fractured and chipping, unlike the rest of the ice on the trunk. Almost like…

 _Almost like something smashed into it._

His eyes lifted, staring intently downstream. The water for the next few miles was swift-moving and deep, but largely interrupted until joining with a larger river, at which point it slowed and became dotted with rocks. There was a town about two days downriver from here…

Joseph chewed his lip anxiously, weighing his choices. After a minute or so, he turned towards the watching Enderwoman, tugging at his collar in resignation.

"You should head back home, Sen. She definitely fell in the river, and I'm going to follow her."

"But-" Senara started, but he interrupted her.

"Please, Sen," he said quietly. "Someone needs to take care of Ena, and I _have_ to find Tamashi. It might take a few days."

Senara stared at him for a few seconds, hesitant, then nodded silently, vanishing. Joseph stood there for a few moments, sighing as he closed his eyes, saying a quick prayer.

Crossing to the other side of the bridge, he set glanced up at the sun, noting its position in the sky. It was almost noon. With that, he set off, snow crunching underfoot as he strode ahead purposefully, fully intending to find his friend.

 **~W~**

Tamashi looked up as Mary entered the cabin, shaking the snow off of herself. Tamashi observed her for a few moments unnoticed as she put a kettle on the stove and lit it. The blonde's features lit up in a gentle smile as she noticed Tamashi looking at her, and she walked over to the bed, taking the Ghast's hand. Tamashi gave a small yelp when the huntress' cold hand met hers, but soon relaxed, allowing herself a small smile in return.

"How are you feeling?" Mary asked softly, thumb running gently over Tamashi's knuckles. The white-haired woman glanced down, but said nothing of the rather intimate gesture.

"Better, I think," Tamashi replied, quirking an eyebrow in slight annoyance as her next thought crossed her mind. "Although, I'd be able to judge that better if you'd let me get out of bed."

Mary returned the eyebrow raise. "And let you injure yourself further? I think not."

"...I just…" Tamashi mumbled, after a short silence. "I need to keep going."

Mary opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, a shrill whistle pierced the air, and she sighed, shaking her head as she stood to retrieve the kettle from the stove.

 **~W~**

Ena groaned, eyelids twitching. Slowly, with tremendous effort, she forced them open, moaning softly in pain as a fiery, stinging sensation laced across her torso.

"Ena!" Cried a voice, and the Creeper's eyes flitted to the side, where Senara had suddenly stood up from the chair she had been sitting in.

The Enderwoman took Ena's hand between both of hers, bowing her head as she began to cry. "E-Ena… Oh, thank the gods you're awake!"

"Sen?" Ena mumbled woozily, looking around in confusion. "Wh-wha…?"

"I… Ena…!" Senara sobbed, embracing the green-haired woman tightly. Ena gasped loudly in pain, giving an unintelligible whimper.

"S-sorry!" Senara squeaked, pulling back. "I-I'm just so happy… I thought you wouldn't ever wake up…"

"Wake up…?" Ena repeated. "Sen, what… what happened?"

Senara's eyebrows knit, and she looked Ena in the eyes, confused. "You… don't remember?"

"I… remember…" Ena trailed off, squinting as she tried to focus her hazy memory. "The ritual… Tunnels…" She stiffened, sitting perfectly upright. Tears began to form in her eyes. "Oh gods… Joseph…!"

She turned to Senara, clutching the taller woman's shirt in her shaking hands as she asked, "Senara… Did I kill Joseph…?!"

 **~W~**

Joseph's eyes narrowed. He got as close to the water as he could, squinting at one of the rocks sticking up in the middle. Was it him, or did it have specks of red dotting it? It was nearly impossible to tell; the sun was setting, and in the half-light, he could just be mistaking the coloration of the rocks. However, as the sun sank below the horizon, his mind turned to a far more pressing issue.

Namely, how he was going to survive the night. He had no shelter, and no way of knowing, as far as he was from home, if the Plague was affecting this area or not. Knowing his luck, it was, and his best hope would be to find a cave to hide in or tree to climb and wait until morning.

Continuing down the bank of the river, he strained his ears, listening for any of the telltale signs that would signal the arrival of the Night Terrors.

The first night Joseph had spent in a Plagued area, he had very nearly died. Growing up, he had never believed in the tales of the fearsome beasts that inhabited the wilderness, as they tended to stay far away from civilization.

It was about three months after he had left his village. That night had been hard, and terrifying. He had been dozing by his campfire, about to drop off for the night, when he heard a strange groan that shook him awake. He had stirred, and looked up just in time to avoid the lunge of a zombie.

Truly, that was what it was; there was no other word suitable for it. It was obviously old, clad in battle-worn armor emblazoned with the faded emblem of some long-forgotten kingdom, a relic of some war lost to the ages, mottled green flesh peeling away from its bones. He had been so utterly terrified that he had failed to notice the arrival of several other monsters until it was too late.

They were the stuff of nightmares; more zombies like the first, some older, nearly skeletons, and others so fresh he could swear they were alive had it not been for their bloodlust; ancient skeletons, wielding bows and swords with deadly precision; giant spiders, oversized mandibles dripping with venom; feral Creepers, eyes wild and skin covered in the various tattoos and paints the more warlike tribes used; various other beasts, bearing fangs and swords and claws and whatever else, all focused on one thing.

In that moment, for the first time in his life, Joseph was absolutely certain he was going to die. Only quick thinking and quicker legs had saved him, as he had turned and ran for his life, running back to a town that he had passed in the late afternoon. The monsters had pursued him the entire way, and his lungs had been burning by the time he reached the town, passing out just inside the main gate.

He had quite learned his lesson since then, mapping out the areas that the Notch Army had cleared of the Plague when he passed through them and making careful routes to avoid those that hadn't yet been taken care of. He had also learned of the other, more docile things that inhabited the wilderness.

There were the regretful spirits, wandering aimlessly, waiting for a living person to fulfill a last request of theirs so they could gain rest. Then there were the witches, the not-quite-human women of a distinctly alien beauty who wielded powerful magic, usually living in groups or completely alone. They were fascinated by men, and though Joseph had never felt his life to be in danger - indeed, witches were never anything but kind and gracious to him - their curiosity and… _eagerness_ could be overwhelming, to say the least. There were, of course, the more civilized Creepers and the Enders, many of whom were surprised by the willingness with which he had spoken and associated with them - something that saddened him greatly. There were the various giant tribes, usually peaceful unless one got too near or attacked them. Finally, there were the Shades - inexplicable beings who seemed human, until one looked directly at them and realized they were not fully opaque. Their very forms flickered constantly, as if trapped between two worlds, and though they seemed to understand human speech, all that Joseph ever heard when they attempted to communicate were garbled, distorted noises, as if he were hearing them underwater, something that seemed to frustrate them greatly.

Ten minutes passed, then twenty, then thirty, and Joseph had almost begun to relax when he heard a rustle to his right. Instantly, he turned, whipping his bow from his shoulders with one hand and grabbing an arrow from his quiver with his right, pulling back the bowstring with all his might as he aimed at the source of the disturbance.

"I'm sorry!" Exclaimed the newcomer, a young woman, raising her hands in a helpless gesture and dropping the waterskins she had been carrying. Joseph relaxed a little, but still kept his aim.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Mary. I live nearby, and I saw you walking by the bank when I came to refill my skins. Are you a hunter from town?"

Joseph lowered his bow. "No. I'm actually… you know what, never mind me. Do you know if the Plague affects this area?"

Mary shook her head. "No, the army came through a few years ago and cleared it." She looked him up and down. "If you're not a hunter… Could you be the young man who lives in the old castle?"

Joseph put his arrow back his quiver, shouldering his bow. It seemed this woman bore him no ill will. "Yes, that's me. How do you know about me?"

Mary smiled, but it was barely visible in the darkness. "I've seen you a few times when I'm out gathering herbs. You were always either chopping wood or hunting. I never really got a close look at you before, but… You're quite handsome."

Joseph flushed. "Oh, I, uh…" He coughed awkwardly. "Thanks." Managing to rein in his embarrasment, he asked, "Listen, have you seen a white-haired girl recently?"

Mary did a double take. "I'm sorry?"

Joseph's brow creased. _Was that a weird question?_ "I'm looking for a white-haired girl. She's… a friend of mine, and I'm worried about her."

Mary pursed her lips, putting her hands on her hips as she studied Joseph closely. _He's obviously the one she was talking about… But why would she run away from someone who's so clearly concerned?_

"...I have," she said at last, turning away. "Follow me."

 **~W~**

 **A/N: Oh hey, I** _ **am**_ **alive. Who would've guessed?**

 **Not really much to say about this one. It was hard to get through, but only because of motivation issues - meaning I had none. Overall, I think it turned out well, and though I'm not exactly pleased with the length, everything that I wanted to be said was said, and I can't really think of any way to expand on it, so… here you go?**

 **Also, I know I'm crossing a large fandom gap here (like a chasm, almost), but how many of you guys watch RWBY? I'm thinking of writing a fanfic for it the near future, and I'd like your opinions on what you might like to see in it.**

 **Other than that, I've got nothing. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter of** _ **White.**_

 **Keep it real,**

 **~TLoZTFH**


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